Do you think it is a coincidence that you are now reading about coincidences? Or is there more to this? Fate? Divine guidance?

Some say there is no coincidence as if they know some mystery that the others don’t. I used to say it myself, but lately I want to ask back – what do you mean? If there is no coincidence, what is?

And I still wonder: Is it a coincidence that I am married to someone with the same name as mine? That I am working in a company with the name that contains my dad’s and my brother’s first names? Is it a coincidence that sometimes I say X and X happens, or I think Y and someone speaks Y?

And on the other hand: The point where two streams meet forming a river is guided by laws of physics and its position can be estimated by scientists. Similarly when we watch sun setting or observing oil rising to the surface of water, we don’t question coincidentality or fate of these phenomena.

It seems that the guiding principles of life might work in the same manner. They might be less scientific but nevertheless they could point into a direction of the outcome.

Contraction pulls at that

which extends too far

Weakness pulls at that

which strengthens too much

Ruin pulls at that

which raises too high

Loss pulls at life

when you fill it with too much stuff

(from Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, Verse 36,

translated by Jonathan Star)

So is there coincidence? After careful consideration and prolonged thinking about the subject, I came to a very clear unambiguous answer:

I don’t know.

And probably neither do you. The great thing about not knowing, it can start a whole new journey of exploration. What do you say?